Thursday, December 17, 2009
Continuing our tribute to Jim:
Some winters are of your own making some are not. Hang in there - winters do not last forever. Day always comes after night. - Jim Rohn
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Continuing our tribute to Jim:
Success is neither magical or mysterious. Success is the natural consequences of consistently applying the fundamentals. - Jim Rohn
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Continued Tribute to Jim Rohn
Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don't fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. - Jim Rohn
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Good news, I think.
United Airlines placed its first order in 11 years for new jets: 25 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 25 Airbus A350s. It is the first time United has bought wide-body long-range aircraft from the European group. The Dreamliner’s much-delayed maiden test-flight is due to take place by the end of the year.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Continued legacy of Jim Rohn
The greatest form of maturity is at harvest time. This is when we must learn how to reap without complaint if the amounts are small and how to reap without apology if the amounts are big. --- Jim Rohn
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Continued legacy of Jim Rohn
Don't set your goals too low. If you don't need much, you won't become much.--Jim Rohn
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Jim Rohn (September 17, 1930 - December 5, 2009)
One of the most influential people in my life, and in MANY other’s lives, was Jim Rohn. A self-professed “Idaho farm boy,” Jim rose to fame as an entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker. I first met Jim in the 70s. I could not believe the amount of notes I was taking on what he was saying. I wanted to write down every word he said. My wife and I met him again in 1986 – more copious notes. On May 14, 2001, we met again as my wife and I took our teen-aged daughter to hear him speak. Our daughter wasn’t that interested in going, but she took many notes that she still has and she treasures the autograph she got that day! He had that effect on people.
It was partly due to these notes I had from Jim Rohn, and others, that influenced me to start the noted ‘thought for the day’ which I still distribute on a World-wide basis.
Not only was what Jim said valuable but the WAY he said it made an impact on you. There are times when I am in speaking situations and I hear Jim Rohn coming out of my mouth!! There are phrases that I can say to my wife, in the pronunciation style of Jim, that will bring back instant recall of one of his stories and the message that went with it. One of them is, “A DOLLAR” (gas station, Carmel, milk shake).
Although he didn’t know it, Jim helped to shape my life. He helped shape many lives. There is probably not a day that goes by that I am not reminded of something he said or wrote.
I am not sure how to say this the way I intend to, however, Jim Rohn’s death, after a prolonged illness, will probably not leave a void. By this I mean his work will be carried forward by his company and the many books, tapes, CDs, DVDs, etc. that he made available to us. He was influential in starting and furthering the careers of many in the personal development industry. These individuals will continue on. Their work will continue to influence and shape many more people. Just as he magnified the work of his mentor, J. Earl Shoaff, Jim’s work will be multiplied through hundreds of others in his field.
As a tribute to Jim Rohn, my ‘thought for the day,’ through the end of the year, will focus on the notes I made of his inspirational teachings.
Jim, thank you. God Bless You.
“I go with you in all the experience that we’ve had. But I promise you this as we leave here: I will not leave you behind. I’ll take you with me in my thoughts and in my heart.”
Jim Rohn Books
Jim Rohn DVDs
Jim Rohn other
It was partly due to these notes I had from Jim Rohn, and others, that influenced me to start the noted ‘thought for the day’ which I still distribute on a World-wide basis.
Not only was what Jim said valuable but the WAY he said it made an impact on you. There are times when I am in speaking situations and I hear Jim Rohn coming out of my mouth!! There are phrases that I can say to my wife, in the pronunciation style of Jim, that will bring back instant recall of one of his stories and the message that went with it. One of them is, “A DOLLAR” (gas station, Carmel, milk shake).
Although he didn’t know it, Jim helped to shape my life. He helped shape many lives. There is probably not a day that goes by that I am not reminded of something he said or wrote.
I am not sure how to say this the way I intend to, however, Jim Rohn’s death, after a prolonged illness, will probably not leave a void. By this I mean his work will be carried forward by his company and the many books, tapes, CDs, DVDs, etc. that he made available to us. He was influential in starting and furthering the careers of many in the personal development industry. These individuals will continue on. Their work will continue to influence and shape many more people. Just as he magnified the work of his mentor, J. Earl Shoaff, Jim’s work will be multiplied through hundreds of others in his field.
As a tribute to Jim Rohn, my ‘thought for the day,’ through the end of the year, will focus on the notes I made of his inspirational teachings.
Jim, thank you. God Bless You.
“I go with you in all the experience that we’ve had. But I promise you this as we leave here: I will not leave you behind. I’ll take you with me in my thoughts and in my heart.”
Jim Rohn Books
Jim Rohn DVDs
Jim Rohn other
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Unemployment Rate sky-rockets!
We keep hearing the numbers bantered about. Unemployment is at 10%; unemployment is at 10.5%. I found information on a new search engine, www.glearch.com, and Encarta which indicate that in the 1930's Great Depression the unemployment rose to almost 25%. Wow, and we are ONLY at 10% now. Things must not be too bad, right?
I believe that today's published unemployment figures are understated. I know of many (and you all know of some/many) people who are still 'employed' but who have taken substantial cutbacks in hours working and in pay. Many friends have had their pay rates reduced by 10 to 20%. They have also had their working hours cut from 40 hours a week to 32 or 36 hours a week. They gladly accepted this substantial cut in hours and pay as they still have a job! The alternative for the company was to lay off 15 to 20% of its workforce.
Instead of that drastic measure, and to be as loyal as they could to their workforce, companies reduced hours and pay in lieu of putting good employees out on the street.
How does this affect our unemployment statistics? We have 10%+ or our workforce still working who would have been out of jobs in the 1930s. So, we ONLY have a 10% unemployment rate. Things can't be too bad if unemployment is ONLY at 10% versus 24% in the Great Depression, right?
I recently drove through the Central Valley of California. I was astonished at the number of vacant and deserted buildings! - Everything from gas stations, to warehouses, to massive agriculture buildings, to car dealerships. I constantly receive mailing from automotive dealerships advising me that they are 'losing' their franchise for one brand or another.
Yes, we are in the Greater Depression. What are some things that are different from the Great Depression?
News travels faster - Internet and television versus daily newspapers. We hear ALL the news as it happens, from hurricanes to bankruptcies to up-to-the-minute stock prices.
Preparation. I believe that we are better prepared. I am very concerned about many of the things that are happening in our country and our economy; however, I believe we have learned from the history we have studied. Just the fact that we are cutting hours/pay versus massive layoffs is a huge step in the right direction. We have fewer people who are totally unemployed. Having to cut back on meals out, cable TV, weekend drives, etc. is surely much better than having no income and going through our savings at a rapid rate as it is used for our monthly obligations - we all know how well we Americans save our money! We have all been told and have known that we should save for a 'rainy day.' Well, it is raining on our parades and we either had learned the lesson before or we are LEARNING it now.
Resiliency. We Americans fight back. We have 'been through it before' and we will most likely go through it again. I think of the song, Tub Thumpin' by Chumbawamba: "I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're NEVER gonna keep me down!" That's right, we won't be kept down. We will fight. We will win. We will revive the greatest economy in the World. We will all have employment. We, again, will enjoy all the things we took for granted.
Hang in there. Keep your head up. Keep fighting. Help your neighbor. Let your neighbor help you. Let’s work together. There has never been and there will never be a country as great as this. Let’s write history.
I believe that today's published unemployment figures are understated. I know of many (and you all know of some/many) people who are still 'employed' but who have taken substantial cutbacks in hours working and in pay. Many friends have had their pay rates reduced by 10 to 20%. They have also had their working hours cut from 40 hours a week to 32 or 36 hours a week. They gladly accepted this substantial cut in hours and pay as they still have a job! The alternative for the company was to lay off 15 to 20% of its workforce.
Instead of that drastic measure, and to be as loyal as they could to their workforce, companies reduced hours and pay in lieu of putting good employees out on the street.
How does this affect our unemployment statistics? We have 10%+ or our workforce still working who would have been out of jobs in the 1930s. So, we ONLY have a 10% unemployment rate. Things can't be too bad if unemployment is ONLY at 10% versus 24% in the Great Depression, right?
I recently drove through the Central Valley of California. I was astonished at the number of vacant and deserted buildings! - Everything from gas stations, to warehouses, to massive agriculture buildings, to car dealerships. I constantly receive mailing from automotive dealerships advising me that they are 'losing' their franchise for one brand or another.
Yes, we are in the Greater Depression. What are some things that are different from the Great Depression?
News travels faster - Internet and television versus daily newspapers. We hear ALL the news as it happens, from hurricanes to bankruptcies to up-to-the-minute stock prices.
Preparation. I believe that we are better prepared. I am very concerned about many of the things that are happening in our country and our economy; however, I believe we have learned from the history we have studied. Just the fact that we are cutting hours/pay versus massive layoffs is a huge step in the right direction. We have fewer people who are totally unemployed. Having to cut back on meals out, cable TV, weekend drives, etc. is surely much better than having no income and going through our savings at a rapid rate as it is used for our monthly obligations - we all know how well we Americans save our money! We have all been told and have known that we should save for a 'rainy day.' Well, it is raining on our parades and we either had learned the lesson before or we are LEARNING it now.
Resiliency. We Americans fight back. We have 'been through it before' and we will most likely go through it again. I think of the song, Tub Thumpin' by Chumbawamba: "I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're NEVER gonna keep me down!" That's right, we won't be kept down. We will fight. We will win. We will revive the greatest economy in the World. We will all have employment. We, again, will enjoy all the things we took for granted.
Hang in there. Keep your head up. Keep fighting. Help your neighbor. Let your neighbor help you. Let’s work together. There has never been and there will never be a country as great as this. Let’s write history.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Overcoming Bystander Apathy
You are walking down a crowded sidewalk in a large metropolitan city. You start feeling numbness in your hand and then your arm. You then begin feeling numbness in your face and a severe headache hits quickly. You are having trouble seeing with one or both eyes. You are feeling a bit dizzy. You are having trouble walking and feel that you are losing your balance. You decide to sit down on the sidewalk next to the building. You are confused and find it difficult to speak. You think to yourself, “Oh, my gosh, I am having a stroke!”
What do you do?
The natural response would be to yell that you needed help. Now picture yourself – slumped on the sidewalk against a building, one arm dangling and slurred speech yelling at the passing crowd. What do you think would happen? Right…probably nothing. People would be passing by and observing how others are reacting. With no one else reacting they will just keep on going.
Groups of bystanders in this situation usually do not help for a couple reasons. One - they think someone else will. Two - they are unsure if there really is an emergency situation and whether they are responsible to do something. We have all experienced people on the sidewalks screaming incoherently at us and other passersby.
But we REALLY need help! What can we do to get the help we need?
According to Robert Cialdini, in a book I am currently reading, there is something we can do to insure we get the help we need. We need to cut through the social programming inherent with passing crowds.
Time would be crucial as your symptoms increase. You must define your need as a real emergency situation. So, you find someone coming towards you, stare directly at them, point at them and in a loud voice say, “You, in the red dress, I need help. Call an ambulance!” You have now put that person in the position of a ‘rescuer’ for you. They will not be asking themselves: What aid is required here? Should I do it or will someone else? Has someone else already done it? You have removed all doubt – they now know it is an emergency, that you need help, and what you want them to do.
You need to avoid the tendency to ask the entire group of bystanders for help. Make a request to a single individual. Pick a person and ASSIGN them the task of helping you.
Naturally, I was reading this book, Influence - the Psychology of Persuasion, with an eye towards helping businesses overcome customer and employee bystander apathy. But in studying ‘social proof’ I came across the above situation of how we all might be in need of getting through to people to help us on an individual basis.
I hope that you will never need to apply this technique; however, if you do, I hope that you will remember it.
Take care.
Tom States
What do you do?
The natural response would be to yell that you needed help. Now picture yourself – slumped on the sidewalk against a building, one arm dangling and slurred speech yelling at the passing crowd. What do you think would happen? Right…probably nothing. People would be passing by and observing how others are reacting. With no one else reacting they will just keep on going.
Groups of bystanders in this situation usually do not help for a couple reasons. One - they think someone else will. Two - they are unsure if there really is an emergency situation and whether they are responsible to do something. We have all experienced people on the sidewalks screaming incoherently at us and other passersby.
But we REALLY need help! What can we do to get the help we need?
According to Robert Cialdini, in a book I am currently reading, there is something we can do to insure we get the help we need. We need to cut through the social programming inherent with passing crowds.
Time would be crucial as your symptoms increase. You must define your need as a real emergency situation. So, you find someone coming towards you, stare directly at them, point at them and in a loud voice say, “You, in the red dress, I need help. Call an ambulance!” You have now put that person in the position of a ‘rescuer’ for you. They will not be asking themselves: What aid is required here? Should I do it or will someone else? Has someone else already done it? You have removed all doubt – they now know it is an emergency, that you need help, and what you want them to do.
You need to avoid the tendency to ask the entire group of bystanders for help. Make a request to a single individual. Pick a person and ASSIGN them the task of helping you.
Naturally, I was reading this book, Influence - the Psychology of Persuasion, with an eye towards helping businesses overcome customer and employee bystander apathy. But in studying ‘social proof’ I came across the above situation of how we all might be in need of getting through to people to help us on an individual basis.
I hope that you will never need to apply this technique; however, if you do, I hope that you will remember it.
Take care.
Tom States
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Chrysler to drop 789 dealers!
Dow Jones Newswire reports the following:
DETROIT - A group of auto dealers poised to be shut down by Chrysler LLC are gearing up to challenge the move in court, though it's unclear how much chance of success they have. About 300 affected dealers plan to file a motion in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan objecting to the company's dealer cuts and the company's plan to sell most of its operations to Italy's Fiat SpA, according to a lawyer representing the group. "I think the court will be flooded with objections," said Stephen D. Lerner, a partner at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP, the firm hired to the group, which is calling itself the Committee of Chrysler Affected Dealers. The group, which has members from about 45 states, was started with the help of the National Automobile Dealers Association. On Thursday, Chrysler notified 789 of its 3,200 dealers that it plans to drop them from its retail network as part of its restructuring. The affected dealers are supposed to stop selling new Chrysler vehicles on or about June 9. The effort to close or consolidate its dealerships has the backing of the Obama administration's auto task force.
The committee is scheduled to meet with the auto task force Tuesday morning to discuss the matter, Lerner said. The forced closure of dealerships, he added, could violate state and federal laws. "You can't terminate them literally on three weeks' notice," Lerner said. "It's not that simple, and it's never been tested. "The dealers may be in for an uphill fight, however. Bankruptcy laws give the courts wide latitude for tearing up contracts such as dealer licenses. A group of Chrysler creditors also formed a committee to fight a plan to slash its secured debt, but almost all have now relented and the committee has been disbanded.
How will this help Chrysler? Fewer dealers to sell their products. It is not like Chrysler is actually paying the dealership payroll and will be reducing expenses.
DETROIT - A group of auto dealers poised to be shut down by Chrysler LLC are gearing up to challenge the move in court, though it's unclear how much chance of success they have. About 300 affected dealers plan to file a motion in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan objecting to the company's dealer cuts and the company's plan to sell most of its operations to Italy's Fiat SpA, according to a lawyer representing the group. "I think the court will be flooded with objections," said Stephen D. Lerner, a partner at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP, the firm hired to the group, which is calling itself the Committee of Chrysler Affected Dealers. The group, which has members from about 45 states, was started with the help of the National Automobile Dealers Association. On Thursday, Chrysler notified 789 of its 3,200 dealers that it plans to drop them from its retail network as part of its restructuring. The affected dealers are supposed to stop selling new Chrysler vehicles on or about June 9. The effort to close or consolidate its dealerships has the backing of the Obama administration's auto task force.
The committee is scheduled to meet with the auto task force Tuesday morning to discuss the matter, Lerner said. The forced closure of dealerships, he added, could violate state and federal laws. "You can't terminate them literally on three weeks' notice," Lerner said. "It's not that simple, and it's never been tested. "The dealers may be in for an uphill fight, however. Bankruptcy laws give the courts wide latitude for tearing up contracts such as dealer licenses. A group of Chrysler creditors also formed a committee to fight a plan to slash its secured debt, but almost all have now relented and the committee has been disbanded.
How will this help Chrysler? Fewer dealers to sell their products. It is not like Chrysler is actually paying the dealership payroll and will be reducing expenses.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
The Greater Depression
Over the years we have all heard about the 'Great' Depression. Horror stories abound. We revere in the words of those that 'grew up in the Great Depression' as having weathered the storm and that they have insight into hard times.
We are now experiencing troubles far worse than the Great Depression. We also now have instantaneous access to World wide news regarding the financial struggles of all people of all nations.
Therefore......
I now officially christen this the GREATER DEPRESSION.
I pray that we will ALL weather this storm and come out with our own stories of how we successfully got through it.
Tom
We are now experiencing troubles far worse than the Great Depression. We also now have instantaneous access to World wide news regarding the financial struggles of all people of all nations.
Therefore......
I now officially christen this the GREATER DEPRESSION.
I pray that we will ALL weather this storm and come out with our own stories of how we successfully got through it.
Tom
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
General Motors
From author and philosopher Tom Morris:
The news that Rick Wagoner has been forced out of his position as head of General Motors set me reflecting today. A dozen years ago, I wrote a book whose title, "If Aristotle Ran General Motors," used this quintessential American company, along with a paradigmatically great thinker of the ages as emblematic of, respectively, the realm of business and the world of wisdom. I had discovered something surprising about the philosophical foundations necessary for the proper governance of a company, a community, or a country. They have never been needed more than right now.
During testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee in 1952, Charles Erwin Wilson, a former president of G.M. and later to be Dwight Eisenhower's Secretary of Defense, made one of the most notorious statements of the twentieth century when he boldly proclaimed, "What is good for the country is good for General Motors, and what is good for General Motors is good for the country." Critics at the time purported to be stunned by this pronouncement, and commentators ever since have described it as a shameless expression of the ultimate in corporate hubris. It seemed to indicate a perverse transvaluation of civic values and to reveal the radically bloated self-importance not merely of a single company, but, more broadly, of industry, commerce, and the economic sphere of our national life. But when this audacious statement is understood in the deepest way possible, and in a way not likely intended, it's absolutely right, and it conveys a fundamental insight of the first importance.
There are four basic ideas discovered by the great thinkers of the past that undergird any form of human excellence and flourishing, whether in a company like General Motors, or in the country at large. In our families, friendships, neighborhoods, civic organizations, governmental institutions, and business relationships of all kinds, four profound and yet simple foundations - universally accessible, pervasively applicable, and incredibly effective - alone make possible the achievement and reliable propagation of excellence over the long term. They are: truth, beauty, goodness, and unity. These are the four foundations of greatness in any interpersonal context, and they are ignored at our tremendous peril, and always with predictably disastrous results.
No organization can do well in a sustainable way without an abundance of truth flowing freely throughout it. Great businesses rise or fall on how well they adjust and adapt to the realities in which they exist. Executives need to be like intelligence officers, detectives of information, relentless questioners of the world and their markets. I suspect that unvarnished truth has not been plentifully available throughout the offices of General Motors for many years. Their top people have not felt the urgency of discovering the social, economic, and environmental realities that could alone provide them with the insights needed to succeed.
And what of beauty? When I was a boy, growing up in the 50s and 60s, the arrival of the new cars each year was a matter for widespread admiration and celebration. Each new model that first appeared in the neighborhood would draw a crowd of eager spectators. Excitement was in the air. It seems like ancient history to even mention this. Our domestic car companies have lost a lot by basically ignoring our need for beauty. And there is beauty required in process as well as in results. Empowering employees to create a beautiful solution to a product problem or a client need can invigorate and drive performance. Plato suggested we are best motivated by a vision of The Good, which for him was also, and first, a vision of The Beautiful. If GM is to succeed in the future, they will need to respect and nurture this important foundation of greatness.
Goodness is important in many forms. An automaker should care about its customers, and design cars for us that are good in many ways - safe, reliable, inexpensive to operate, and well designed to meet our needs. These products should also be good for the environment in which they're used. And the treatment of employees at every level, as well as of all customers – both before, during, and after a sale - should be ethical, moral, and surpassingly good beyond the requirements of the law and the standards we tolerate.
Unity is the last and most comprehensive foundation. Truth, beauty, and goodness well deployed create unity. Without their many benefits, people are disconnected and alienated from their work. In a fascinating and troubling book written years ago, Rivethead: Tales from the Assembly Line, Ben Hamper told a story of alienation and carelessness among front line workers at a Flint, Michigan General Motors plant that made me reluctant to ever ride again in my father's GMC Suburban. It's precisely a lack of fundamental unity that has caused the management and labor unions at companies like GM to act at cross-purposes, and with self-defeating results, for decades now. Adversarial relationships within companies rarely bring mutual satisfaction and joint success for those enterprises over the long run. The history of conflict between unions and corporations is not one of surpassing grandeur in the results attained, and this is a problem that desperately needs attention.
From the time we wake up in the morning, until the moment we fall asleep at night, we have four dimensions to our experience of the world. We have an intellectual dimension to our experience that needs truth. We have an aesthetic dimension that needs beauty. We have a moral dimension that needs goodness. And we all have a broadly spiritual dimension that craves a sense of harmony, connectedness, or unity. If Aristotle ran General Motors, I believe that he would insist on respecting and nurturing these four vital qualities at every level and in every way. Why should the rest of us ever allow for less in our homes, workplaces, communities, and nation?
When my book was first in print years ago, one of my early audiences for a talk on its content consisted of the top two hundred people at General Motors. I remember that, throughout the room, there were many notes taken on the ideas. I just wish that they had taken the ideas to heart. And if they had taken them to work the next day, we might be seeing something very different now in Detroit.
The news that Rick Wagoner has been forced out of his position as head of General Motors set me reflecting today. A dozen years ago, I wrote a book whose title, "If Aristotle Ran General Motors," used this quintessential American company, along with a paradigmatically great thinker of the ages as emblematic of, respectively, the realm of business and the world of wisdom. I had discovered something surprising about the philosophical foundations necessary for the proper governance of a company, a community, or a country. They have never been needed more than right now.
During testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee in 1952, Charles Erwin Wilson, a former president of G.M. and later to be Dwight Eisenhower's Secretary of Defense, made one of the most notorious statements of the twentieth century when he boldly proclaimed, "What is good for the country is good for General Motors, and what is good for General Motors is good for the country." Critics at the time purported to be stunned by this pronouncement, and commentators ever since have described it as a shameless expression of the ultimate in corporate hubris. It seemed to indicate a perverse transvaluation of civic values and to reveal the radically bloated self-importance not merely of a single company, but, more broadly, of industry, commerce, and the economic sphere of our national life. But when this audacious statement is understood in the deepest way possible, and in a way not likely intended, it's absolutely right, and it conveys a fundamental insight of the first importance.
There are four basic ideas discovered by the great thinkers of the past that undergird any form of human excellence and flourishing, whether in a company like General Motors, or in the country at large. In our families, friendships, neighborhoods, civic organizations, governmental institutions, and business relationships of all kinds, four profound and yet simple foundations - universally accessible, pervasively applicable, and incredibly effective - alone make possible the achievement and reliable propagation of excellence over the long term. They are: truth, beauty, goodness, and unity. These are the four foundations of greatness in any interpersonal context, and they are ignored at our tremendous peril, and always with predictably disastrous results.
No organization can do well in a sustainable way without an abundance of truth flowing freely throughout it. Great businesses rise or fall on how well they adjust and adapt to the realities in which they exist. Executives need to be like intelligence officers, detectives of information, relentless questioners of the world and their markets. I suspect that unvarnished truth has not been plentifully available throughout the offices of General Motors for many years. Their top people have not felt the urgency of discovering the social, economic, and environmental realities that could alone provide them with the insights needed to succeed.
And what of beauty? When I was a boy, growing up in the 50s and 60s, the arrival of the new cars each year was a matter for widespread admiration and celebration. Each new model that first appeared in the neighborhood would draw a crowd of eager spectators. Excitement was in the air. It seems like ancient history to even mention this. Our domestic car companies have lost a lot by basically ignoring our need for beauty. And there is beauty required in process as well as in results. Empowering employees to create a beautiful solution to a product problem or a client need can invigorate and drive performance. Plato suggested we are best motivated by a vision of The Good, which for him was also, and first, a vision of The Beautiful. If GM is to succeed in the future, they will need to respect and nurture this important foundation of greatness.
Goodness is important in many forms. An automaker should care about its customers, and design cars for us that are good in many ways - safe, reliable, inexpensive to operate, and well designed to meet our needs. These products should also be good for the environment in which they're used. And the treatment of employees at every level, as well as of all customers – both before, during, and after a sale - should be ethical, moral, and surpassingly good beyond the requirements of the law and the standards we tolerate.
Unity is the last and most comprehensive foundation. Truth, beauty, and goodness well deployed create unity. Without their many benefits, people are disconnected and alienated from their work. In a fascinating and troubling book written years ago, Rivethead: Tales from the Assembly Line, Ben Hamper told a story of alienation and carelessness among front line workers at a Flint, Michigan General Motors plant that made me reluctant to ever ride again in my father's GMC Suburban. It's precisely a lack of fundamental unity that has caused the management and labor unions at companies like GM to act at cross-purposes, and with self-defeating results, for decades now. Adversarial relationships within companies rarely bring mutual satisfaction and joint success for those enterprises over the long run. The history of conflict between unions and corporations is not one of surpassing grandeur in the results attained, and this is a problem that desperately needs attention.
From the time we wake up in the morning, until the moment we fall asleep at night, we have four dimensions to our experience of the world. We have an intellectual dimension to our experience that needs truth. We have an aesthetic dimension that needs beauty. We have a moral dimension that needs goodness. And we all have a broadly spiritual dimension that craves a sense of harmony, connectedness, or unity. If Aristotle ran General Motors, I believe that he would insist on respecting and nurturing these four vital qualities at every level and in every way. Why should the rest of us ever allow for less in our homes, workplaces, communities, and nation?
When my book was first in print years ago, one of my early audiences for a talk on its content consisted of the top two hundred people at General Motors. I remember that, throughout the room, there were many notes taken on the ideas. I just wish that they had taken the ideas to heart. And if they had taken them to work the next day, we might be seeing something very different now in Detroit.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
What happens when software engineers drink and play Scrabble?
. From 'Eat My Words'....
.
Thanks to all of you who voted in the 2008 Head Scratcher "worst name of the year" contest. This cheeky annual award, created by Eat My Words, is inspired by our no-brainer philosophy, "A name should make you smile, instead of scratch your head." Contenders are judged on their "ick factor" and ability to pass the Eat My Words SMILE & SCRATCH Test, which has been featured in Wall Street Journal, a fact that we like to mention as often as possible.
Drumroll please...
The name that chalked up the most votes was a new "financial literacy" site for children out of Oklahoma named Shyrk. A name that made us shriek and smirk because kids always shirk their parent's advice and blow their allowance on Frappuccinos® and clove cigarettes.
The tacky pink trophy was ready to be engraved and then...
Another drumroll please...
We were tipped off that Shyrk renamed themselves with an even worse name: iThryv. Whaaaaaat? Did one of their software engineers say, "Hey, we need a name with vowels so let's get drunk and play Scrabble again"? (Why not iShryk?) The website explains it all by saying "Shyrk changed the name of the corporation to iThryv in an effort to dispel any confusion related to the name of the company versus the name of the product. Now, when someone mentions iThryv -- you know they are talking about financial literacy." HELLO! What about regular literacy?! The name iThryv is so severely spelling-challenged that an entire generation of children are not going to know that the word "thrive" is spelled with vowels. Isn't it already tragic enough that "No Child Left Behind" didn't work and kids don't know how to spell "flicker" or "delicious"? And sorry iThryv, the "i" doesn't buy you a vowel.
Beginning your company name with an "i or an "e" is so 1998. Just like iStockPhoto and eHarmony, the name iThryv screams, "WE'RE ON THE INTERNET!" Yeah, everyone is. If iThryv is still "thryving" 20 years from now, the name will sound even more ridiculous than it does today.
How can you avoid a Head Scratcher?
Rule #1: Your company name needs to spelled exactly as is sounds. As anyone from iThryv, Takkle, Xobni, or countless other companies will reluctantly admit, when you have to verbally spell out your name (and silly-sounding email address) for people, it's embarrassing and annoying. And if it's annoying for you, how do you think your customers feel when they type the name they hear in their browser and discover what iThrive is?
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Thanks to all of you who voted in the 2008 Head Scratcher "worst name of the year" contest. This cheeky annual award, created by Eat My Words, is inspired by our no-brainer philosophy, "A name should make you smile, instead of scratch your head." Contenders are judged on their "ick factor" and ability to pass the Eat My Words SMILE & SCRATCH Test, which has been featured in Wall Street Journal, a fact that we like to mention as often as possible.
Drumroll please...
The name that chalked up the most votes was a new "financial literacy" site for children out of Oklahoma named Shyrk. A name that made us shriek and smirk because kids always shirk their parent's advice and blow their allowance on Frappuccinos® and clove cigarettes.
The tacky pink trophy was ready to be engraved and then...
Another drumroll please...
We were tipped off that Shyrk renamed themselves with an even worse name: iThryv. Whaaaaaat? Did one of their software engineers say, "Hey, we need a name with vowels so let's get drunk and play Scrabble again"? (Why not iShryk?) The website explains it all by saying "Shyrk changed the name of the corporation to iThryv in an effort to dispel any confusion related to the name of the company versus the name of the product. Now, when someone mentions iThryv -- you know they are talking about financial literacy." HELLO! What about regular literacy?! The name iThryv is so severely spelling-challenged that an entire generation of children are not going to know that the word "thrive" is spelled with vowels. Isn't it already tragic enough that "No Child Left Behind" didn't work and kids don't know how to spell "flicker" or "delicious"? And sorry iThryv, the "i" doesn't buy you a vowel.
Beginning your company name with an "i or an "e" is so 1998. Just like iStockPhoto and eHarmony, the name iThryv screams, "WE'RE ON THE INTERNET!" Yeah, everyone is. If iThryv is still "thryving" 20 years from now, the name will sound even more ridiculous than it does today.
How can you avoid a Head Scratcher?
Rule #1: Your company name needs to spelled exactly as is sounds. As anyone from iThryv, Takkle, Xobni, or countless other companies will reluctantly admit, when you have to verbally spell out your name (and silly-sounding email address) for people, it's embarrassing and annoying. And if it's annoying for you, how do you think your customers feel when they type the name they hear in their browser and discover what iThrive is?
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